


First Contact

by PixelByPixel



Category: Black Panther (2018), Daredevil (TV), Marvel Cinematic Universe, Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017)
Genre: Cameo: Franklin "Foggy" Nelson, Cameo: Karen (Spider-Man: Homecoming), Cameo: May Parker, Cameo: T'challa (Marvel), Cameo: Tony Stark, Foggy Nelson Is a Good Bro, Gen, Humor, Marvel Undercover, Matt Murdock is emo on rooftops, Not a Star Trek fic despite the title, Peter & Shuri & Science forever, Peter Parker & Shuri Friendship, Science, Timeline What Timeline, the dog does not die
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-15
Updated: 2019-06-15
Packaged: 2020-05-12 02:03:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 12,537
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19219354
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PixelByPixel/pseuds/PixelByPixel
Summary: Neither Peter Parker nor Shuri is entirely sure that they want to be participating in the summer science program at Columbia University. Despite the fact that the expo where they will share their projects is approaching, Peter is more interested in the stranger he keeps seeing outside a lab, and the odd substance that is left behind after the stranger leaves. He’s also trying to figure out whether or not he should go to college, and hopes to get advice from a friendly neighborhood vigilante. Meanwhile, Shuri is glad for a break from her work in Oakland, even though a supervised science program isn’t necessarily what she would have chosen.Who is the stranger in the lab? Will Peter and Shuri finish their projects? What’s that dog doing there, anyway? Who's the guy on the roof? Tune in for the answers to these and other questions!





	First Contact

**Author's Note:**

> This is set after Black Panther and Spider-Man: Homecoming but ignoring the events of Infinity War and beyond.  
> Many thanks to my beta, [titC](https://archiveofourown.org/users/titC/), for all the help, hand-holding, and the title. (Seriously, you almost got something called "Title Goes Here".)  
> Thanks to Brianabana for the prompt! It was for Peter and Shuri (either / or &): During a science competition/expo Peter knocks over Shuri's entry.  
> This fills my [Daredevil Bingo](https://daredevilbingo.tumblr.com/) square for “bloody and alone.”

Honestly, Peter Parker wasn’t sure that he was cut out for college life. He’d gotten into the Columbia summer science program thanks in part to a glowing recommendation from that lawyer who had helped May with a property dispute. He’d gone to Columbia, and while Peter had thought that it was kind of weird that May had asked him to write it even though the guy had never actually met Peter, apparently that was how these things worked.

Peter’s grades were okay, too. That probably helped.

Well, they were more than okay. But since schoolwork came easily to Peter when he actually took the time to do it, deep down in his mind his grades didn’t really count.

And Mr. Stark’s own recommendation hadn’t hurt, too. That was probably what had gotten him into the program.

However it had happened, Peter was glad. May had hugged him and said that Uncle Ben would have been proud and Peter’s parents would have, too. She didn’t talk about them much, so Peter took note.

He liked living in the dorms well enough and the other kids were pretty cool, though he still hadn’t met all of them. Nobody snitched when he snuck out to do Spider-Man stuff, though Peter was pretty sure his roommate thought he was going off to meet somebody.

Of course, there wasn’t anybody. The thing with Liz had been a disaster. He’d started to have interesting thoughts about MJ, but he was pretty sure nothing was going to happen there, either. MJ seemed so secure in herself, like she didn’t need anybody else. Why would she want to be with Peter? Better to concentrate on school, on being the best Spider-Man he could be, and on the science, of course.

The summer program’s ten weeks were coming to an end, after all, and the expo was looming. Peter and the other attendees had been hard at work in their respective labs, serving as research assistants to actual professors. Peter wasn’t sure lab work was for him, though. At least, he wanted to do more than just the theoretical stuff. If the science didn’t solve something or help somebody… well, he still liked it, but it wasn’t as interesting. He needed science to be _useful_ which, when he thought about it, was probably Mr. Stark’s influence.

He’d worry about the expo and his project later, though. His roommate Zack was asleep, and it was time to patrol, which he still felt like he needed to do despite being at Columbia. Mr. Stark had said to try and have some fun instead, but Mr. Stark’s ideas of fun were kind of different from Peter’s. That, and he’d noticed somebody lurking outside Dr. Lin’s lab that afternoon, someone he hadn’t quite seen but who had made the hair at the back of his neck stand up. There had been a weird blue light coming from the lab, too, but that didn’t bother Peter so much. There were all kinds of projects happening; maybe the light was part of one.

He’d _wanted_ to investigate at the time, but he’d been called away, as one of the adults involved in the summer program had told all the kids to get back to the dorm. Really, being a friendly neighborhood Spider-Man was easier with less oversight, but Peter tried not to worry about the person he’d seen. There was time enough to check it out after he patrolled, after all.

Peter eased open his window and made his careful way outside. Fortunately, he was on the ground floor, so getting the window mostly closed behind him was no problem; he left it open a crack, so he could climb back in when he was done. He’d just get a little further from the dorm and then he’d -

“What are you doing?”

Peter couldn’t see the speaker, but her voice was light and amused and she had an accent he couldn’t place. He didn’t stop to find out who it was but instead hightailed it around a corner and out of sight.

“I don’t think you are supposed to be doing that,” came the voice from behind him.

Of course he wasn’t. The summer program had rules and staying in the dorms after curfew, unless one was at a sanctioned event - like the parties that even Peter thought were kind of dull - was one of those rules.

It occurred to Peter that the other person had sounded young enough to be in the summer program as well, which made Peter wonder what she was doing that she shouldn’t be.

* * *

Shuri shook her head as she watched the boy run. He was fast, she supposed, but what was he doing climbing out of the dorm like that? Shuri, of course, had simply gone out the front door, acting as if it was the most natural thing in the world to be doing.

It didn’t hurt that the person who was supposed to be monitoring the door had left to answer a call of nature, thanks to the large helping of her favorite beverage that _someone_ had given her.

Shuri had waited patiently for the monitor to leave and then had made her own exit, happy to be outside and enjoying the New York night. She set off in the same direction that the boy had taken, though not out of any real desire to catch him. In fact, she didn’t really care where he went, as long as he left her alone. She just wanted to get away from the others, to be by herself… well, not that the streets were empty, but she didn’t know these people. They didn’t demand anything of her but were simply there, living their own lives, present but not anything that Shuri needed to worry about.

It was pleasant to be somewhere and not have to worry about anyone but herself. Oakland had been fascinating, but the work had been hard and Shuri had not had a lot of time to herself. She had been hoping for a bit more of that here in New York, but had found solitude hard to come by.

It wasn’t that she disliked the other participants in the summer program, even, but the constant time spent together with relative strangers could wear on a person. She was grateful for the chance to get away just a little bit.

Her brother had suggested that she try this summer program in part, Shuri suspected, to give her a break from the unpleasantness back in Oakland. Privately, she admitted that she had needed the change. And, well, it wasn’t as if she was going to get any science done there for a while. Oakland, much as she loved her work there, had become a bit too much.

Maybe that was why she’d agreed to come here: to see something of the United States other than California. She had not, she told herself firmly, run away, not with T’challa encouraging the trip. Part of her wished that she had remained in Oakland to see to things there, and it wasn’t as if she couldn’t take care of herself, but being somewhere different felt right, at least for a little while.

Shuri wasn’t sure she’d really seen much of New York, though. There had been sightseeing tours sponsored by the summer program, but Shuri felt like she was only seeing what the program wanted her to see, and the museums and such were nice but didn’t feel _real_. Admittedly, she wouldn’t mind getting her hands on some of the toys she’d seen at that Stark facility, but the people there hadn’t seemed inclined to let her try.

They’d probably thought she would damage the equipment, which, really, some of the other students might have done. Shuri, however, would have… all right, likely taken the equipment apart to see how it worked, but then she would have re-assembled it. Maybe she could have made some improvements.

Most of the other students, her advisor Dr. Lin told her, were light-years behind Shuri. Shuri, Dr. Lin said, would be right at home in his graduate level classes, and he encouraged her to apply. He said he would make it work, despite her lack of an undergraduate degree.

He hadn’t made the offer to any of the other participants, and Shuri wasn’t surprised, even as she knew that she wouldn’t really consider his offer. These American teenagers, they didn’t seem too concerned with… well, much of anything. Her roommate, Mona, was more worried about her boyfriend back in New Jersey than about her project for the expo.

Shuri’s project was nearly done, and Dr. Lin had seemed giddy when he talked about the others’ reaction to it.

Shuri didn’t really care about the reaction, just that her science was sound and that her project would help people.

No, Shuri had no intention of staying in New York and studying, no matter what Dr. Lin promised. She had come as her brother had suggested, and she would, she realized, be glad to return to Oakland at the end of the summer program.

Her lab there had been better than the one here, after all, though she did not mention that to Dr. Lin. She also chafed at being someone’s _assistant_ , though at least Dr. Lin treated her as a colleague. He seemed willing to let her go as fast as she liked, even allowing her to come to the lab before breakfast, a slight breach of the rules. And it wasn’t that Shuri didn’t appreciate his suggestion that she apply to Columbia. She just wasn’t really sure what the point in this organized study was, not when she could figure out what she needed on her own.

“Maybe you can learn from the others,” T’challa had said back in Oakland, though she had seen the concern hidden behind his teasing smile.

Mona had taught her some new ways to paint her nails, but Shuri was pretty sure that wasn’t what T’challa had meant.

He would be in New York soon, Shuri realized, as she made her way past another Starbucks. She smiled, looking forward to seeing him again; they hadn’t had much time together lately. His most recent visit to Oakland had been abrupt, just before Shuri’s own departure for New York. She knew he wanted to spend time in Oakland, but also that he was King, which of course took priority. Maybe he would come with her to Oakland for a little while before he had to return to Wakanda.

Maybe that visit would be more pleasant.

A quick stop in a shop got her a slice of pizza, which she ate as she walked. She had no particular destination in mind; she just wanted to get away. Hopefully, Mona would sleep through it. But even if Mona woke up, she wouldn’t tell on Shuri. She would just ask for details and then be disappointed when Shuri said she had just gone for a walk.

A ruckus down an alleyway drew her attention, and Shuri changed direction to investigate. “Hey!” she protested, seeing a frail old man being menaced by another man with a knife. “Leave him alone.” She ran several steps into the alley, droppin the pizza as she went.

The one with the knife pushed the older man hard, knocking him to the ground, and advanced on Shuri. “He didn’t have any cash, anyway. But you do, don’t you, girlie?”

Shuri raised her chin and stared down the man. Of course, she wasn’t wandering about New York defenseless. She had something in her bag that this man would not like. “Try and find out.”

The man drew closer, knife at the ready, even as the older man tried to get to his feet. Shuri dipped one hand in her bag, getting ready, but then the man’s knife was pulled from his hand and plastered against the alley’s wall with an odd, sticky substance.

“Hey!” the would-be thief protested. Before he could say anything else, more of the sticky substance wrapped around his legs and then a figure in red and blue swung by, sending the thief to the ground with a neatly-placed kick.

“You okay?” the masked figure called as he came to a landing.

“Spider-Man?” Shuri asked, remembering the headlines in that issue of the Daily Bugle Mona had shown her. “I’m fine, of course, but…” She hurried to the older man’s side; his face had gone grey. She was just about to get a helpful gadget from her bag when the man inhaled sharply, some of the color returning to his face.

“How are you feeling?” Shuri asked him.

“I… fine. I should go. My husband, he’ll be worried.”

“Are you certain?” When he nodded, Shuri helped him to his feet, and he made his careful way out of the alley, giving Spider-Man a grateful nod on his way past.

“What is your suit made of?” Shuri asked, rounding on Spider-Man. She had so many questions! How did he make the web? Did he have any other abilities? But first and foremost she wanted to know about that suit.

“I… don’t know?”

He sounded young, but that was no excuse not to understand his tech. “Let me see,” Shuri said, gesturing toward Spider-Man, but he edged back a step.

“I need to go. More, uh, crime to stop. Stay safe now.” And he took to the sky, swinging into the air.

Shuri tipped her head back to watch him, but he soon disappeared from view. She could only imagine what good a vibranium suit would do him, the way he ricocheted off the buildings. Turning to leave the alley, she stepped past the pizza that she had dropped in the ruckus.

No time for food now.

Shuri had _ideas_.

* * *

_Stupid_.

Peter came to a stop on the roof and peered down at the girl. She had turned to leave, thank goodness.

He shouldn’t have landed like that, but he’d been worried about the old guy, and distracted by thinking about whoever he’d seen outside Dr. Lin’s lab, and just not paying enough attention to recognize her. And _stay safe now_? Could he have said anything less cool? He sounded like Captain America; not even actual Captain America, but the boring act he did for the school videos.

She was the girl from outside the dorm. Peter remembered her accent, her voice. And she’d seen him, talked to him. If she connected Spider-Man with Peter Parker… well. That could be bad.

Everybody knew that Mr. Stark was Iron Man, but he was Mr. Stark, not some kid from Queens.

Peter ripped off his mask, struggling to breathe.

“Hey. What are you doing here?”

Peter whipped around to face the stranger then, with a strangled sound, tried to pull his mask back on. The stranger was back in the shadows, but Peter was in the light.

He’d seen Peter’s face.

“Nothing,” Peter stammered. The stupid mask was on wrong, and he tried to straighten it.

“Hey.” The man stepped out of the shadows and he… was also wearing a mask. Weird. It was black and covered his face down to his nose. His clothing was black as well. “It’s okay. I was coming to help, and… did you just stop that fight?”

His voice was rough, kind of like when Ned did his Batman imitation.

“Yeah. I was patrolling.”

“Patrolling? But you’re just a kid.”

Peter had been hearing that phrase a little too much lately from Mr. Stark. “I’m going to be a senior in the fall.”

“In high school?”

“Yeah.”

“Shit. I mean, you sound young, but I didn’t think you were that young. What are you doing breaking up fights like that? You shouldn’t be… it’s dangerous.”

Peter shrugged. “I can. And if I can… I should.”

That seemed to resonate with the man. He smiled, though the expression wasn’t an entirely pleasant one. “Do you have somebody watching your back?”

“No.” Peter realized that the man looked a little run down: his black clothes were shabby and… was that blood oozing from under the mask? And he’d said he was going to help, Peter guessed he meant the guy in the alley. “Do you?”

That drew a dry chuckle from the man, but no answer.

Peter frowned. The guy seemed familiar, like maybe Peter had read about him in the Bugle or seen him on YouTube or something, but he couldn’t place him. “Look, who are you?”

The man hesitated.

Peter pressed, “Come on. You saw who I am when my mask was off. It’s only fair.”

“Who said life is fair?” the man scoffed. “And I didn’t see you.”

“How could you not see me?” Peter protested. “You’re right there.”

Except that he wasn’t. The man in black had disappeared.

Peter sighed. He’d finally run into somebody who seemed like maybe he was doing the same kind of thing Peter did: a friendly neighborhood… ninja? One who had apparently done a disappearing act. So much for getting advice.

Peter decided to go check out Dr. Lin’s lab, then go to bed. He had a lot of work to do on his project the next day, and if he didn’t get enough sleep, he’d mess things up.

He managed to get back to campus without incident and changed back into his regular clothes. Spider-Man sneaking around would be kind of obvious, whereas he could blend in a little better as himself. Well, as Peter Parker. There were times when he wasn’t sure what _himself_ was anymore.

He tried to be quiet as he took the shortcut to the lab, but it felt like the twigs and leaves were diving under his feet. He bet the friendly neighborhood ninja would have been quieter and made a mental note to try and figure out who he was.

Dr. Lin’s lab was in a different building than Peter’s lab. He’d only been there that afternoon because his advisor, Dr. Sidhu, had asked him to take some lab results to Dr. Sidamonidze, whose lab was right next to Dr. Lin’s. Zack, Peter’s roommate, was working with Dr. Sidamonidze, and Peter had waved at him through the window.

He’d noticed that the side door was broken that afternoon and was glad to see that it hadn’t been fixed yet. He eased it open and made his way down the hallway to where the stranger had been standing. There was an odd, oily stain on the floor and Peter frowned at it, then pulled out his phone, glad Mr. Stark had finally given him that upgrade.

“Karen? Can you tell what that is?”

There was a moment of silence, then the AI replied, “An oleaginous substance.”

“Yeah, not helpful.”

“If you can get a sample and allow it to interact with your suit, I may have more luck. My interface through your phone is somewhat limited.”

Peter got that; he was grateful even for the supposedly limited version of the AI in his phone. Noting that Dr. Sidamonidze’s lab was open, he ducked inside and got a sample container, putting it to good use with the oily substance. Then he stood in the spot where the stranger had been standing. He could see right into Dr. Lin’s lab; from the equipment set up on the lab bench, Dr. Lin’s student had been working there and the stranger could have seen whatever had been going on.

He’d disappeared before Peter could question what he was doing there. Maybe he was another student or a teacher, but Peter didn’t think so.

“Peter.”

“Yeah, Karen?”

“It’s late, and you have a long day tomorrow.”

Peter nodded. He did. He’d get back to the dorm, hope that the oily stuff didn’t do anything weird to his suit, and go to bed.

* * *

That had been the plan, at least, but when the oily substance had proved to be something that Karen couldn’t identify, Peter had been unable to sleep. He’d finally dropped off an hour or so before his alarm: just enough sleep that he was groggy and cranky over his Fruity Pebbles the next morning.

Work in the lab went as well as could be expected. Dr. Sidhu was kind about Peter’s math errors and suggested he go outside. “Clear your head,” he encouraged. “A good, brisk walk is just the thing.”

Peter leapt at the excuse to hit the coffee cart outside the building, certain that caffeine would help him more than a walk would. Still, he took advantage of his unexpected freedom to make his way to the other building. Surely the mysterious stranger wouldn’t have returned, but Peter still wanted to check. Maybe he’d missed something the night before.

He hadn’t but as he stood in the same spot he’d been in last night, he got a look at Dr. Lin’s assistant and felt his heart sink. Of course, it was the girl from the night before, from outside the dorm, from the alley. He let his head hit the wall behind him with a thump.

“Peter?”

He startled upright at Dr. Sidamonidze’s voice. “Yes, ma’am?”

“Did Mohinder send you?” She must have seen Peter’s confusion, as she clarified, “With the spectroscopic analysis?”

“Um, no. Dr. Sidhu told me to take a walk.”

She looked more amused than chiding as she replied, “Then maybe you should take a walk. Want to take Benny for a spin around the block? He’d love you for it.”

Dr. Sidamonidze regularly brought her Jack Russell dog to school with her, though of course he stayed in her office and not in the lab. The students loved him, though more than one of them had been chastised for throwing tennis balls down the building’s long hallway for Benny to chase.

“I can do that,” Peter agreed.

And so Peter ended up on the other end of Benny’s leash, glad that Dr. Sidamonidze had left her Saint Bernard at home. After a minor spate of barking outside Dr. Lin’s lab, Benny seemed thrilled to go outside. He insisted on investigating everything and seemed content to drag Peter along behind him.

Peter managed a sip or two of his coffee but otherwise went along for the ride. As he turned back into the building to return Benny, who had begun to bark furiously, he saw what looked like the stranger standing in that same spot. His outline was blurry, not helped by that blue light coming from the lab, and Peter rubbed at his eyes. When he thought about it, he remembered seeing the blue light the last time he had seen the stranger, too. “Hey!” he called. “Wait!”

The blue light flickered off and the stranger… seemed to dissolve? Peter dropped the leash and dashed over to the spot - or he would have, but Benny seemed intent on investigating as well, with a frenzy of yapping and whining.

Peter grabbed the leash once more and then scooped Benny into his arms, though the dog strained to get down. Whatever he had seen, or maybe not seen, he didn’t want anything to happen to the dog. He made his way over to that spot and didn’t see anything, didn’t feel anything when he passed his hand through the space. He glanced down and saw more of that oily substance on the floor outside Dr. Lin’s lab.

Benny’s wiggling finally grew to be too much and Peter put him down, though he kept the dog away from the spot. He was glad Benny wasn’t bigger, as the dog seemed to be personally offended by the oily spot and let out a howl before Peter managed to get him away.

Karen had said that maybe somebody at Stark Industries could figure out what it was with a larger sample size, so Peter took the dog back to Dr. Sidamonidze’s office, petted him until his hackles had gone down, borrowed another sample container, and scooped the oily stuff into it.

He decided he would duck out that evening and take it to Stark Industries. Somebody would figure out what it was.

Just then, though, Peter had to get back to his own project. The expo was the next day, after all, and Dr. Sidhu was expecting him to put in some solid work.

* * *

Shuri looked up from her work, her focus having been broken by Dr. Sidamonidze’s dog sounding like some sort of siren in the hallway. She glanced at her phone and was surprised to see how much time had passed and then, peering out the window into the hallway, saw someone there. He was leading the dog away, but Shuri suspected that he was the boy she’d seen climbing out of his room. So far she’d only seen the back of his head, so she wasn’t sure if she’d met him through the program. She didn’t think he worked in her building, though, and wondered what he was doing there.

Shuri hadn’t made much of an effort to meet the other participants in the program. She took her meals with Mona and a few others from her hall, and had managed to avoid the parties.

Not that she disagreed with parties in general, of course, but clearly the people running this program didn’t have experience with party planning, or teenagers, or, well, fun.

Science was fun and she didn’t need to deal with other people to do it. Her project was coming along beautifully and was all but finished. She’d used the time to expand on a prototype she had started to develop back in Oakland and had to admit that she had been glad of the chance to focus on it, especially after what had happened.

In Oakland, she’d had some time to work on her projects, but much of her energy was spent on outreach, particularly in the schools and libraries. A doctor from one of the local hospitals had even come to her after she’d spoken at his daughter’s school and she had been glad to help. She had planned to start working with Dr. Ruley over the summer but that had been delayed by her trip to New York. No doubt she would get back to it in the fall.

For all that she was enjoying a more intensive science focus, she was looking forward to her return to Oakland. T’challa, she assumed, had dealt with the situation there, and she would be able to resume her previous work with the people there. Science projects, she decided, would have to take a back seat for a while once she returned.

A small cough drew her attention and she turned to see Dr. Lin approaching. “How is your project progressing?”

Shuri smiled. She enjoyed discussing theories with Dr. Lin, and she knew he was excited about the project. She was fairly certain that he had been keeping tabs on her and so knew she had finished her work; the rest was just fine-tuning. He could only be asking for one reason. “Would you like a sneak peek?” She had tested it earlier, but Dr. Lin hadn’t been in the lab at the time.

He nodded, all enthusiasm.

Shuri flipped the switch on the side of the box that housed her project and nodded in satisfaction when a pale blue glow began to fill the room.

“Ah,” Dr. Lin breathed. “Just as you said.”

 _Of course,_ Shuri thought, pleased, though she was briefly distracted by the distant sound of barking.

“Well done,” Dr. Lin approved, gazing at her project. “Well done indeed.”

* * *

Getting to Stark Tower after dinner proved to be not particularly challenging for Peter. He’d gotten his roommate to cover for him, ignoring Zack’s approving, “Go get you some!”

“Yeah,” Peter muttered, swinging through the rain. “This is exactly what I should be doing.”

He was glad, at least, that whatever the suit was made of kept the water out. The trip would have been twice as miserable if he’d been damp.

He’d been keeping an eye out as he made his way through the city, and landed on a rooftop when he spotted his quarry huddled there.

The man in black looked like a drowned rat, and Peter felt some sympathy for him. “Hey,” he greeted, though the man in black didn’t turn, didn’t seem surprised that he was there. “You took off the other day.”

Peter had done a little research when he was supposed to be on his lunch break and was pretty sure he knew who he was talking to. He felt a little foolish for not realizing it earlier. After all, he’d read articles about things the man in black had done. You just don’t expect to end up on a roof with a guy you’ve read about. The world could be a pretty strange place.

“I did.”

“You said you didn’t see my face, but… you had to.”

The man tapped his mask, which was still pulled over his eyes. “Not really.”

“Why do you wear your mask like that?”

The man shrugged. “Yours covers your face, too, right?”

“Yeah, but mine is… I mean, Mr. Stark made it. I can see better with this than I can with my eyes.”

“A mask like that wouldn’t do me any good,” the man said.

Peter was impressed by the man’s level of moodiness, though he would probably be moody too if he was outside in a waterlogged suit. Maybe he should take the man to meet May. She wouldn’t let him stay so gloomy. “But why not? You can try it, if you want.”

He pulled off the mask and offered it to the man, who didn’t seem to notice.

“Look, you’re Daredevil, right? The Devil of Hell’s Kitchen?”

The man didn’t quite smile. “I’ve expanded my territory a little, but yeah.”

“I think I kind of do what you do,” Peter said, but then immediately he felt embarrassed. How could he make that sort of comparison? He pulled his mask back on, adding, “I mean, with the _helping people where you live_ thing. I’m Spider-Man. Nice to meet you.”

“I’ve heard of your work,” Daredevil said, and Peter felt a rush of pleasure.

“Really?”

“Yeah, kid. My partner watches your videos on YouTube and he tells me about them. He likes you almost as much as he likes Thor, I think.”

Daredevil had a _partner_. Cool. And almost as much as Thor? _Awesome_. “That’s great. Thanks. Tell him I appreciate it.” He hesitated, then asked, “Do you have a… a thing?” Daredevil made a noise of inquiry, and Peter clarified, “Like how I got bit by a spider.”

“Ah. Yeah. Uh, an accident when I was a kid. It exposed me to some stuff and, uh, changed how I perceive things and, uh, some other stuff.”

He seemed uncomfortable talking about it and Peter felt a little awkward. After all, he barely knew the guy and was asking him some pretty personal questions. “Yeah. Thanks. Sorry.”

“You don’t have to apologize.” Peter shifted uncomfortably, and Daredevil asked, “Did you need something?”

“I just… you’re not going to tell anybody who I am, are you?”

“No.” It was a definite answer, and Peter relaxed. “Mainly because I don’t actually know, but even if I did I wouldn’t tell.”

“Thanks. I mean, some people know, but I’d like to know who knows, y’know?”

That got him a small smile, but Daredevil still seemed kind of grim. Peter thought that getting out of the rain would probably help, but people got in trouble even when the weather was awful, so he doubted Daredevil would go inside.

“Thanks,” Peter repeated. “Look, not to, uh, ask awkward questions and run, but I’m already out past curfew, and I’ve got something else I need to do.”

“Spider-Man has a curfew?” Daredevil asked. He shook his head, then, adding, “I’m glad I was older when I started… whatever it is that we do.”

Peter, warmed by the _we_ , supplied, “Helping. And if you ever want to get together, maybe exchange some tips…” Daredevil didn’t look too thrilled by the idea, and Peter amended, “Or not, okay. Have a good night, Mr. Daredevil.”

Peter actually thought he heard the man laugh as he swooped on his way.

* * *

He made it to Stark Tower in good time and Karen unlocked a side door for him.

It wasn’t that he was sneaking around, that he was hiding from Mr. Stark. Realistically, Mr. Stark could probably snap his fingers and know where Peter was - Peter had no illusions about the tracking capabilities of his new phone - but sometimes it was nice to pretend that he had some privacy.

He followed Karen’s directions to an out-of-the-way lab that would allow her to do what she needed to do with the sample.

“How long will this take?” he asked, spinning on the lab stool and reflecting that there was a reason the stools at Columbia didn’t spin.

“Long enough that you should probably get back to Columbia.”

Mr. Stark. Of course. Peter grabbed the lab bench to bring himself to a stop. “Oh, hey, Mr. Stark. Columbia, yeah, I’m really enjoying that.”

“I can tell.” Mr. Stark came the rest of the way into the room.

“So do you have me flagged or something? Do you get an alert when I come into the building?” Peter wasn’t annoyed and made sure that his tone reflected that, but he did wonder these things.

“Something like that. I’m not tracking you all the time, though.”

He had not said, Peter noted, that he never tracked Peter. Still, that wasn’t a surprise, all things considered.

“So what is being done here that you couldn’t science at Columbia?” Mr. Stark asked.

Peter wished that he’d asked Karen whether she reported on him to Mr. Stark.

“Oh, I don’t know,” Peter replied because, really, he didn’t. “Just some stuff I found, and I wondered what it was.”

“And you and Karen couldn’t figure it out without coming here?”

“She said that the resources were better here.” That had to appeal to Mr. Stark’s pride, and it wasn’t like he was throwing his favorite AI under the bus.

“Well, she’s right,” Mr. Stark said, looking pleased. “It looks like she wants to run a full battery of tests, which will take a while.”

“I’m sorry, I don’t mean to be tying up your -”

“Hey.” Mr. Stark’s tone was still brisk, but there was something reassuring about his manner. “Don’t ever apologize for being curious. We’ve got the resources; you might as well use them. Now,” he added, clapping his hands. “Are you good to go for tomorrow? Your project is going to win, right?”

“I mean, it’s not really a win-lose sort of thing,” Peter demurred. “There are a lot of really smart people, and…”

“I’m just kidding, Pete. Well, I look forward to seeing what you’ve been up to.”

“Wait, you’re coming?”

Mr. Stark grinned. “Of course. I told May I’d give her a ride, and she wants to bring along that lawyer who wrote the recommendation. It’s going to be a full house for you tomorrow, kid.”

Somehow, that didn’t give Peter warm, fuzzy feelings. He hoped that his project would work as it should. He was pretty sure it would, but he hadn’t exactly had the best focus lately.

“Uh, great,” he managed. “I’ll see you then, Mr. Stark.”

“You need a lift back to Columbia?” Mr. Stark offered. “Happy can -”

Peter shook his head, already imagining Happy’s reaction to being pulled out of bed or whatever else he might be doing. “I’m good. Thanks. Uh, see you tomorrow, Mr. Stark.”

He tried not to look too obvious about hurrying out of the room.

* * *

When Mr. Stark had said that the results from testing the oily stuff would take a while, Peter had assumed that they would be available later that day, or at least when he woke up. Sadly, that was not the case. Even after breakfast, all she could report was, “It’s unusual, Peter.”

“Thanks, Karen. But, I mean… is it carbon-based? Or maybe silicon?”

“It’s unusual.”

Peter sighed. “Keep me posted, okay?”

“Of course. Good luck at the expo.”

Peter just nodded and made his way to his lab. He had a few final details to add to his poster, and the final copy of his report to email to Dr. Sidhu, and then he was ready to start moving everything to the hall where the expo would be held.

While he was interested to see what the other students had done, the impending results about the substance distracted him. Finally, Dr. Sidhu shooed him off. “You’ve done everything you can until this evening. Go pack, so you don’t have to deal with that tonight.”

“That’s a good idea. Thanks, Dr. Sidhu. And if I don’t get a chance to tell you later, I’ve really enjoyed working with you.”

“And I have enjoyed working with you as well, Peter.” Dr. Sidhu shook Peter’s hand and added, “I hope you’ll be applying to Columbia for next year.”

Peter managed to escape after a vague answer that probably gave it away that he didn’t plan to apply to Columbia. Peter didn’t really know what he was going to do. After all, the job he wanted to do - was already doing - didn’t exactly have educational requirements. Of course, it also didn’t have a paycheck.

But it occurred to him that he wasn’t really sure how that spider bite had impacted him. Would he always be able to do what he did now? The thought of swinging around New York as an eighty-year-old amused him, but Spider-Man with a broken hip was less funny.

Peter sighed. Maybe he should apply… somewhere. Just in case. Maybe Mr. Stark had some advice.

Had Mr. Stark even gone to college? Surely he had, but Peter decided to figure that out for sure before bringing the subject up with Mr. Stark. He’d Google it. These days, he knew, a college degree didn’t really guarantee a person a job.

Did the Avengers get paid somehow? Did they have day jobs?

Was that why Captain America had made those dumb school videos? Peter resolved not to make fun of them anymore.

Maybe he could ask Daredevil. He seemed older, and even though he didn’t seem to want to bond over the whole neighborhood superhero thing, maybe he’d be willing to give a little advice. Peter decided to track him down after everything had settled down with the expo and the substance and, well, everything.

College application plans could wait.

But Peter was glad that he’d listened to May and taken the SATs.

He had options.

* * *

Shuri had no idea why Dr. Sidamonidze had brought her dog to the expo. Admittedly, Benny was behaving himself and was sitting at Dr. Sidamonidze’s feet, but Shuri wasn’t sure what to think. She decided not to worry about it, but to focus on getting her poster in place. She wasn’t sure what T’challa would think that all these students had provided posters, and not something more high tech, but at least the science was sound. And once her poster was ready, she could go back to the lab and get her project.

Mona had asked her what she was going to wear to the expo, and of course Shuri was going to dress up. It might be best to get her project to the expo first. Moving it wouldn’t take a lot of effort and then she could go back to the dorm and change, then return to the expo.

Maybe by then Dr. Sidamonidze would have taken her dog somewhere else.

T’challa had texted her to say that he was running late, but that he should still be there in time for the expo. She smiled and shook her head, but she knew he would make it.

Students and their advisors bustled around the hall, making sure that things got done. Dr. Lin looked over from helping one of his other students adjust her poster and caught Shuri’s eye, his eyebrows lifting in inquiry.

Shuri smiled and shook her head. She was fine. After everything else she had done in her life, a science expo would be a cakewalk.

Humming under her breath, she returned to her dorm.

* * *

Peter tried not to get frustrated, he really did.

“Really? All that tech in Stark Tower and you still can’t figure out what that stuff is?”

“I am continuing the testing,” Karen replied. “And your tie is crooked.”

Peter straightened his tie, which May had made him bring. “Thanks, Karen.”

“Hey, Pete! Who are you talking to? Who’s Karen? Is that who you keep sneaking out to meet?”

While technically the answer to Zack’s question was yes, Peter felt disinclined to explain in any detail.

“Uh, kind of.”

Fortunately, Zack didn’t appear to want details, as he headed over to his desk and booted up his laptop. “Ha, I knew it.”

“You sure did,” Peter agreed. At that moment, he decided that any college he might attend would also have to be the college that Ned attended, so they could room together. Living with someone who didn’t know he was Spider-Man was too hard.

“You heading over?” Zack asked. Peter nodded, and Zack said, “I’ll see you over there. Just need to check something first.”

“See you there,” Peter agreed, nodding once more as he left the dorm.

The walk from the dorm to the hall where the expo would be held was mercifully short, as even the early evening temperature was still pretty warm. It was with no small amount of relief that Peter let the hall door close behind him, the air conditioning a welcome contrast to outside. He was glad he’d already brought over his project.

Peter knew that the professors were going to come around and ask questions about the project, and he felt a buzz of nervous energy, the same kind he got at acadec meets. He knew his material; Dr. Sidhu had been quizzing him on it since week two. But there was still the fear of a question out of left field.

Benny, maybe sensing his stress, broke away from Dr. Sidamonidze and ran up to him, tail wagging furiously.

“Hey, boy,” Peter greeted him, hunkering down to pet the dog. He rose when Dr. Sidamonidze approached and offered her Benny’s leash.

“Thanks, sorry. He’s been off today, not sure why. He keeps growling at shadows.” Dr. Sidamonidze leaned down to give the dog a pat. “I should have left him at home, but Jake is at the vet for some tests and I didn’t want him to be lonely.”

Jake, Peter remembered, was Dr. Sidamonidze’s other dog.

Sometimes giving animals people names made for weird conversations.

“I don’t think people mind,” Peter offered. “Unless they’re allergic or something. Benny’s a good boy.”

Benny wagged his tail in obvious agreement.

Dr. Sidamonidze nodded. “No, I get that. He’s just been really…” She looked over as Zack called her name and then smiled once more at Peter before taking Benny and going off to help her student.

High school, Peter reflected, did not have dogs. That was a mark in favor of college.

He couldn’t help but grin at the thought of May’s reaction to him giving _dogs_ as the reason for going to college, and turned back to his project. People would be arriving soon, and he wanted to be ready.

* * *

“Well, it looks like you’ve managed to get something done here.”

Shuri didn’t turn. She was in the midst of making a few last-minute adjustments to her project. “Of course I did.” But she was smiling, and even though her back was to T’challa, she knew he could tell. She gave the processor a pat, and then turned to face her brother. “You’re here! And on time, even.”

“Yes, but I’d hoped to take you to dinner beforehand. Now there’s no time.”

“We can go after,” Shuri suggested. Alone time with her brother - well, relative alone time; she spotted a few members of the Dora Milaje, as she had expected - was to be treasured.

“After,” T’challa agreed. “Now, tell me what you’ve been up to.” Already anticipating his pleased reaction, Shuri began to give an overview of her project. She knew she would explain it countless times that evening, but she was glad that T’challa got to hear about it first.

* * *

“Peter, did you eat at all for the last ten weeks?” May hugged him tighter, then held him at arm’s length. “You’re too thin. I knew I should have made you stop by the apartment.”

“I missed you, too, May,” Peter replied, and he found himself realizing that he had. He’d taken May too much for granted; the time apart made him see that. “Hi, Mr. Stark,” he added, and nodded politely to the two men standing behind May.

“Oh, sorry,” May said. “This is Mr. Murdock and Mr. Nelson.”

“Those lawyers?” Peter remembered.

“We’re not _just_ lawyers,” the lighter-haired one - Mr. Nelson - said with a grin, offering his hand to Peter. “We’re _Columbia-educated_ lawyers.”

“Nice to meet you,” Peter said, shaking Mr. Nelson’s hand. “Mr. Murdock, thanks again for that letter of recommendation,” he added, with a polite nod to the other lawyer. Then he noticed the dark-haired man’s white cane and the red-lensed glasses he wore.

“It doesn’t have to be awkward, really,” Mr. Nelson said, though his look of understanding made up for his flippant tone. “It’s okay. Matt knows that he’s blind.”

“I do,” Mr. Murdock agreed, though not without a wry look in Mr. Nelson’s direction. He held out a hand for Peter to shake, adding, “Glad to do it. The recommendation, I mean. Your aunt talked you up the whole time we worked together, and she told me about your grades and everything.”

Peter mumbled another thank you as he shook Mr. Murdock’s hand. There was something about him that seemed familiar, but he couldn’t quite place it. And then there was that odd smile on Mr. Murdock’s face. Peter felt like he was missing a joke.

“He’s a real star, our Peter,” Tony said, clapping Peter on the back. “Hey, I’m going to take a swing around the expo, see what everybody’s been doing. I’ll save the best for last, though,” he added, with a grin for Peter.

“Sure. Thanks for coming, Mr. Stark.”

“So that’s Tony Stark,” Mr. Nelson said, turning to watch Tony schmooze his way down the row of projects. “I thought he’d be… I don’t know, taller.”

“I hear the suit adds six inches,” Mr. Murdock quipped.

“Okay, now,” May said, with that same trying-not-to-sound-amused tone that she often used with Peter and Ned.

“Sorry,” Mr. Nelson said.

Mr. Murdock continued, “What I think my partner was trying to say is…”

Peter dropped his phone, then dove after it, straightening red-faced and the focus of all the adults’ attention. “Uh, sorry. You were saying?”

Mr. Murdock continued, and May laughed at whatever he said, but Peter stopped paying attention.

The words _my partner_ had triggered a realization: add just a little bit of Batman, and Mr. Murdock’s voice was the same as Daredevil’s. They were the same height, and…

They were all looking at him again. “Sorry, what?”

“I said that you don’t have to stare at Matty like that,” Mr. Nelson said, his tone one of gentle teasing. “It’ll just go to his head. He already knows he’s handsome.”

“But he couldn’t see me looking,” Peter blurted. “I mean. Sorry.”

Daredevil was blind. _Daredevil was blind._

Well, that explained why he’d said he hadn’t seen Peter’s face.

And it was… really amazing, actually. It also gave Peter an answer to the college question, though now he _really_ wanted to talk to Mr. Murdock about it.

“Don’t worry about it,” Mr. Murdock reassured.

He was, Peter reflected, nicer as Mr. Murdock.

“Thanks,” Peter said. “So. Do you want to hear about my project?”

* * *

That was the rest of the evening: talking about the project. People claimed to be impressed by what Peter had done, which made him wonder what the other projects were like. He didn’t think his was all that great, and he was curious about that blue light coming from the other side of the hall. People kept coming to ask him about his project, though, so he couldn’t sneak away to see what it was.

Finally, Mr. Stark came back and Peter got to explain the project to him. He asked some good questions: not the easy ones like _what made you choose this topic_ that Peter had already answered twenty times.

“If you want to do more on this, you can have a spot in a lab,” he said finally. “Good work, kid.”

Peter felt his heart swell with pride. “Thanks, Mr. Stark. Hey, uh, those lawyers didn’t leave yet, did they?”

“I don’t think so. Last I saw, the blond one was petting that dog, the one that won’t quit whining. Why?”

Benny. Peter had heard him barking intermittently, and once had seen him heading for the exit with Dr. Sidamonidze in pursuit.

“I just wanted to, uh, thank them again.”

“As long as you’re not thinking about law school,” Mr. Stark said, though his tone suggested that he was sure Peter wasn’t. “There are bigger and better things in your future.”

“Thanks, Mr. Stark. No law school for me, no.” Peter said it anyway, just to be safe, and was rewarded with a quick smile from Mr. Stark.

“Oh, there they are.”

In fact, Mr. Murdock and Mr. Nelson were coming up the aisle toward them, Mr. Nelson gesturing as he spoke, Mr. Murdock listening with a small smile.

“Hey, uh, Mr. Murdock? Could I borrow you for a minute?”

Mr. Murdock seemed puzzled but agreeable enough, whereas Mr. Nelson teased, “Everybody always likes Matt better.”

“We can go this way,” Peter said, then remembered, _blind_. “Uh, to the right. There’s a door to a back entrance. Do you want…?”

“He’s got his arm sticking out,” Mr. Nelson supplied, and Peter gave him a grateful smile as Mr. Murdock found his arm. “So,” Mr. Nelson said, as Peter and Mr. Murdock made their way to the door. “Tony Stark, huh? How are you set for legal representation?”

Mr. Murdock exhaled a soft, annoyed sound, but continued on with Peter.

“I’ll get the door, Mr. Murdock, and there are three steps going down.”

“Thanks.” Mr. Murdock released Peter’s arm. “So what’s going on, kid?”

“I’m not a kid,” Peter replied. He saw something flicker across Mr. Murdock’s face and said, “Let’s go down the path a little.”

Mr. Murdock nodded, and he and Peter walked in silence until they had gone some distance from the door.

“Uh. You’re Daredevil, right?”

Mr. Murdock stopped walking. “Why would you think that?”

“I won’t tell anybody,” Peter assured him. “But you’ve got the same build as him, and the way you said _my partner_ back there in the hall, it was… really similar.”

“And how do you know what Daredevil sounds like?”

“Wow, you just got really intense. I’ll bet you’re a good lawyer.” Mr. Murdock didn’t say anything, and Peter said, “Oh. Sorry. I’m Spider-Man. Sorry, I should have led with that.” Mr. Murdock didn’t look particularly surprised. Peter loosened his tie and pulled his collar aside to show his suit, then caught sight of the red glasses and sighed. “Sorry. I was trying to show you my suit, but that’s not going to work. We, uh, talked on some roofs. You didn’t think I should be stopping fights.”

Mr. Murdock didn’t say anything for a moment. When he spoke, his words were careful. “You’re Spider-Man, huh? Well, then, you know how important it is to keep your life as Spider-Man separate from your life as Peter Parker.”

“Yeah,” Peter agreed. “I just… sometimes it’s hard, Mr. Murdock. Not many people know. I mean, Mr. Stark does, of course, and my aunt, and my best friend, Ned.”

“It’s good to have people you can talk to.”

“Does Mr. Nelson know that you’re Daredevil?” No answer. “Well, I hope so. He seems like a good guy.”

That got him a smile. “He is. Foggy’s the best.”

“Wait, Mr. Nelson’s name is _Foggy_? Did his parents… not like him or something?”

“It’s Franklin. Foggy’s his nickname.”

Well, it beat Penis Parker, that was for sure. Peter didn’t say _that_ , though. He moved a little closer to Mr. Murdock. “It’s just… sometimes it’s hard to know what’s really _me_ , you know? Spider-Man or Peter.”

Again it took Mr. Murdock a little bit to reply. “Well, people can have different aspects,” he said finally, his voice quiet. “I act differently in court than I do when I’m hanging out with Foggy. Maybe it’s like that. But… yeah, kid. I understand.”

Karen chimed an alert, but Peter ignored her for now.

“You’ve been doing this a while. Does it… does it get easier? I mean, I do this because I can’t _not_ do it, but sometimes I wish…”

Mr. Murdock sighed. “Most things get easier with time, but not everything.”

“Peter.” Seeing that her alert hadn’t gotten the desired result, Karen spoke up, and with some urgency.

“Karen, could this wait? I’m kind of in the middle of something.”

“Karen?” Mr. Murdock echoed, sounding puzzled.

“She’s an AI. Mr. Stark put her in my suit, and also my phone.”

“… handy,” Mr. Murdock replied, sounding as if he thought it was anything but. “Go ahead. If your, uh, AI is talking to you, it must be important.”

Peter decided not to mention that one time when Karen had told him a bedtime story.

“Thanks. What’s up, Karen?”

"The substance cannot be identified - "

Mr. Murdock looked over, his eyebrows lifting.

“Yeah, you’ve been saying that.”

“- because it isn’t of terrestrial origins.”

Peter took a moment to take that in. “You mean aliens?”

“Precisely.”

“Aliens. At Columbia. Outside the lab.”

Mr. Murdock frowned a little, and if Peter didn’t know better he would think that Mr. Murdock was looking at something. “Any chance these aliens aren’t visible to humans?”

“Excellent observation, Mr. Murdock.”

“How did you know that?” Peter asked.

“Get your suit on, kid,” Mr. Murdock replied. He pulled a scarf from the inside pocket of his jacket and discarded the jacket, glasses, and cane before wrapping the scarf around his head.

Peter felt a rush of air flash past him, and saw… something flicker briefly into his range of vision.

It was headed for the hall, for the expo.

He pulled off his outer layer of clothing, grateful he had his suit on underneath, and followed the… whatever it was, just a few steps behind Mr. Murdock.

“It might have good intentions,” Mr. Murdock said, though his voice was grim. “Just… don’t kill it, okay?”

Peter nodded, then said, “I won’t.”

In the few minutes between the thing’s entrance and Mr. Murdock and Peter’s, the hall had erupted into chaos. The creature seemed to be flickering into and out of sight, and people reacted, well, the way one might expect.

There was screaming. Definitely screaming. And running. And that blue light flickering on and off. Somewhere in the hall, Benny was howling; this all seemed to be too much for his little doggy mind.

Mr. Murdock flinched back from all the sound but then hurried after the creature. He circled one way and Peter went the other, climbing onto a display to get a better vantage point.

“Hey,” somebody called. “It’s Spider-Man.”

Somebody else said, “I didn’t know he went to Columbia.”

There were shouts encouraging him to _get it_ , and Peter shot a few short bursts of web at the area where he had last seen the thing.

When it reappeared, there was no web stuck to it, but Peter shot off another volley that clung to the creature, but didn’t seem to hinder it. “Karen, any ideas what this thing is?” he panted. It looked like it had run through a display while it wasn’t visible, so maybe it was intangible then, too? Peter wished he had the time to figure it out.

A quick series of numbers flickered across his HUD.

That was new.

“It is not of terrestrial origin,” Karen said finally.

Great. Definitely an alien. Because that had gone so well in the past. “Any idea what kind?”

“No.”

The, well, alien seemed to be headed for the far end of the hall. Peter caught a glimpse of Mr. Murdock making his way to intercept it, and… where was Mr. Stark?

A flash of blue light flooded the hall, much brighter than the earlier flickers had been. Distantly, Peter could see Mr. Murdock reel away from it, one hand lifted to shield his face.

Peter didn’t even have to ask Karen; she had already blocked the excess light from coming through his mask. Peter could finally see the source of the light: the project at the far corner of the hall. The alien was visible, vaguely humanoid, and moving toward the girl Peter had met in the alley.

Peter cast several bursts of web at the creature, who seemed to slow somewhat, but it still seemed intent on getting to the girl.

She looked fascinated, rather than afraid, but Peter was afraid _for_ her.

Only one thing to do. Peter shot web toward the ceiling and swung directly for the girl’s project, knocking it to the ground.

The light flickered off, and the creature faded, though it was still somewhat visible.

The girl rounded on Peter. “You didn’t have to do that,” she protested. “It does have an off switch.”

“Well, why didn’t you push it, then?” Peter demanded as the girl bent down to assess the damage to her project.

Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Mr. Nelson helping Mr. Murdock out of the room. He almost went after them, but then Mr. Stark was there, and… the King of Wakanda? Mr. Stark was talking into his phone, rapid-fire, but the king was more interested in the girl.

“Uh, can I help?” Peter said, still keeping himself between the girl and the flickering alien.

“You’ve done enough,” she snapped.

Everything happened pretty quickly after that. Whoever Mr. Stark had been talking to swooped in to take the alien into custody, though that was over the girl’s protests; she had been trying to communicate with it in the interim.

Everybody was ushered out of the hall, though Peter and May and the King of Wakanda and the girl ended up in a side room by themselves.

“I’m sorry,” Peter repeated. “I didn’t mean to break your project. Well, no, I did, but -”

The girl studied him for a moment, then smiled. “Clearly you had a good reason.”

“You were trying to help my sister,” the king agreed. “For which we are grateful.”

“I don’t think we’ve met officially,” the girl said. “My name is Shuri.”

Peter hesitated. He’d heard of her, and felt kind of dumb for not putting it all together sooner. She was the King of Wakanda’s sister, and _he_ was the Black Panther, so she clearly had some experience with people who weren’t exactly normal. He pulled off his mask. “Nice to meet you. I’m Spider-Man. Peter Parker.”

“I didn’t realize that Spider-Man was a… so young,” the king said. He added, as if Peter didn’t already know, “I’m T’challa.”

“Good to meet you both,” Peter said. “And this is my aunt, May Parker.”

“You must be proud of your nephew,” the king said.

May nodded. She gave Peter’s arm a little squeeze. “Always.”

Peter smiled and managed not to duck his head.

Mr. Stark came into the room then, all breezy cheer. “That was a fun way to end the, uh, science fair, don’t you think? Little pitched battle, always exciting.”

“What did you do with the creature?” Shuri asked.

“Alien,” Peter suggested.

She brightened. “Really? Well, that makes sense.”

“The alien is in a secure facility,” Mr. Stark explained, “Where we are attempting communication.” He turned to Shuri, then, a glint of curiosity in his eyes. “Your science fair project. We should discuss it.”

There was a moment in which everyone was silent. The king stiffened, but looked to his sister.

“Of course,” Shuri agreed. The king seemed to relax a little, but then Shuri added, with a grin, “If you think you can follow what I have to say.”

“Shuri, really?” the king groaned.

“It’s very advanced work.” Shuri caught Peter’s eye and winked at him, before turning back to Mr. Stark. “I’m sorry, who are you?”

Peter couldn’t exactly believe that she’d talked to Mr. Stark like that, but he seemed to be amused.

“Tony Stark,” he supplied. “I’m familiar with your work. If you’ll agree,” he added, inclining his head to Shuri, “I can have your project moved to a lab in Stark Tower. You’re welcome to work on it there.”

“Thank you,” Shuri replied, looking pleased. “It wasn’t badly damaged. It won’t take long to repair.”

“I… if there’s anything I can do to help,” Peter suggested.

Mr. Stark clapped him on the shoulder and said, “Peter here actually discovered a residue left behind by the alien, which helped us get a little warning of what was happening. My labs are still working on the analysis. It’s very complex.”

That got Peter a curious smile from Shuri. “By all means, please come along.”

Peter nodded, relieved to have some way to make it up to Shuri.

Tony looked pleased. “Good. Care to join us, May, Your Majesty?”

“What, you mean now?” May asked. “If I know Peter, he hasn’t stopped to eat all day.”

“I doubt Shuri has either,” the king agreed.

Peter tried not to look too pitiful, but his stomach chose that moment to rumble and Shuri laughed, clearly amused.

“Fine,” Mr. Stark said. “Food first, then science. Pete, you might want to change clothes first.”

“Did you leave your clothes somewhere?” Shuri asked. “I can get them.”

Peter stammered, “Oh, that’s not - you don’t have to.”

“It’s fine. Where are they?”

Peter explained, and Shuri retrieved the clothing. Everyone else exited the room to give Peter time to change; when he came out, he found that the adults had gone ahead, leaving Shuri to walk with him.

“Your project, it made the alien visible. The light.”

“I think it attracted the alien, too,” Shuri agreed.

“Yeah. I kept seeing it outside of Dr. Lin’s lab.” Peter realized aloud, “We should bring Benny.”

“The dog?” Shuri asked, incredulous. “To Tony Stark’s lab? That’s all I hear, day in, day out. Benny, get the ball! Benny, come here! And all the _barking_.”

“Yeah, but I think he knew the alien was there. Yesterday -” Was it only yesterday? “- I brought him back in from a walk and the alien was there. You were doing something with your project, and there was that blue light and I could see it. The alien, I mean. Well, and the light, too, of course. And Benny was barking and trying to get to it, even when I couldn’t really see it.”

“Well, that changes things. But I want to get my project working again first.”

“Anything I can do to help…”

Shuri studied him, her gaze both assessing and amused. “Maybe.”

Peter managed not to sigh. At least she hadn’t called him a kid. “Your project. What… what was it?”

Shuri grinned. “Come on. I’ll show you. _After_ we eat.”

Peter couldn’t help but grin in response. “That sounds great.”

* * *

Eventually, Peter got around to clearing his stuff out of the dorm at Columbia. May had offered to do it, but Peter had said no. It was his responsibility. Just because some really amazing science was going on, that was no excuse not to get stuff done.

The science _was_ amazing, though. Shuri made these incredible mental leaps, and Peter somehow managed to keep up with her. One afternoon, he’d pulled himself out of a discussion with Shuri - it was like coming up for air - to find Happy staring at them, his expression perplexed.

“What were you even talking about?”

Shuri had started to explain, but Happy had shaken his head and left before she’d said more than five words.

Shuri had laughed and, after a moment, so had Peter. But they were making progress in communicating with the alien, and it was all so interesting that he just couldn’t stop talking about it.

“You should come to Oakland,” she’d suggested that afternoon, and Peter found himself considering it. He tossed the last of his stuff in the trunk of May’s car.

 _California_.

She’d warned him that it was anything but glamorous, and he’d grinned at her, saying, “I’m from Queens.”

“No,” she had said, her manner unusually serious. “Before I came here, there was an incident at my lab in Oakland. There was an explosion, and -”

“Someone blew up your lab?”

“Yes. My brother’s people found the terrorist. She was… well, we are doing new things in Oakland, and some people don’t like change, even when it helps people.” She had paused, then, her expression troubled. “Especially when it helps _some_ people. But that is what we are trying to do, and we will, no matter what.”

No, Oakland wasn’t the same as Queens, and he knew it.

Plus, well, he was still in high school, and it was his senior year. But next year maybe it would be a possibility. He’d wait and see.

Once Peter got his stuff back home and unloaded, though he left it in several untidy piles on his floor, he put his suit on.

He couldn’t help but smile as he remembered Shuri and Mr. Stark’s conversation about his suit. Shuri had questioned every feature, every design idea; Mr. Stark, delighted, had argued right back. A new prototype was already being planned.

Peter, though, was feeling a little guilty. He hadn’t checked on Mr. Murdock, as he’d been too busy with the science. He pulled a hoodie and some sweatpants on over his suit, hopped on a bus, then took the E train. Once he was in the right general neighborhood, he stashed his clothes and took to the sky.

It didn’t take him very long to find Daredevil. He’d been checking the roofs but ended up locating him shutting down a drug deal.

Peter saw that he was doing fine on his own and let him finish, then followed him up a nearby fire escape.

“Hey,” he began. “You okay? That light the other day, the blue stuff…”

“Oh, was it blue?” Daredevil asked. “Huh. Yeah, I’m fine.”

For reasons he didn’t understand, Peter didn’t entirely believe Daredevil, but he let it go. “Good. I was glad that Mr. Nelson got you out of there.”

“Yeah, Fogs…he’s a good guy.”

“So he knows you’re Daredevil?”

Daredevil took a moment to think over his answer. “A while back, somebody pretty smart told me that the martyrs ended up bloody and alone.”

Peter nodded as if he understood, then did a mental eye roll for his use of the gesture. “Yeah?”

Daredevil shook his head, with a small, wry smile. “I didn’t tell Foggy who I was, but I should have. He found out anyway and it was… uh, kind of rough, for a while. But now he knows and… bloody is kind of a given for me, all things considered, but at least I won’t be alone.”

“I’m glad,” Peter said. Mr. Nelson seemed like someone who would keep an eye out for Mr. Murdock - Daredevil - whoever.

“You’ve got friends who know, too, you said. And your aunt.”

“Yeah. They just… kind of found out. My aunt worries, but I’m fine.”

There was another of those twisted smiles. “Fine, huh? Sure you are, kid.”

“And then after the… everything at the expo, I told Shuri and her brother.” Peter felt weird talking about hanging out with the King of Wakanda.

“First time actually telling someone?” Peter mumbled an affirmative, and Daredevil continued, “Good for you, as long as they’re people you can trust.”

“They are,” Peter replied. He was certain of it, in fact. While the king didn’t seem to care who knew he was Black Panther, Shuri had specifically told him she’d keep his secret - as long as he promised to try out her suit design.

Peter couldn’t help but smile as he remembered the conversation. Fortunately, Mr. Stark had loved her ideas. He’d tried to offer her a job, but Shuri was set on going back to Oakland. “I have work to do there, real work.”

Mr. Stark had gestured to the lab. “This isn’t fake work we’re doing here.”

And it wasn’t, but he’d stopped asking when he could see that Shuri wouldn’t change her mind, and focused on the science instead.

Peter’s attention shifted back to the present. Daredevil nodded, and Peter was pretty sure he smiled. The dim rooftop and the mask made it hard to tell, though.

“How do you do it?” Peter asked. Daredevil made a noise of inquiry, and Peter said, “I mean, you’re a lawyer during the day and… this at night. That seems a little harder to balance than high school student and friendly neighborhood Spider-Man.”

“In some ways yes, in some ways no. I live alone, for one thing.”

“You mean Mr. Nelson doesn’t -” Peter cut off his words. Not his business.

“He checks up on me, but he has his own place.”

“And he notices if you don’t go to work.”

“Yeah. But if you’re talking about the lawyer-vigilante dichotomy -” He paused, as if checking to see what Peter knew what the word meant, then continued, “I try to work within the law when I can, but sometimes it’s not possible. Sometimes people are too scared to press charges against the people that hurt them. Sometimes there are loopholes that get exploited. But that doesn’t mean that people should be hurt, that those who perpetrate violence should get away with it -” Clearly getting fired up, Daredevil checked himself.

“I’ll bet you’re a good lawyer.”

“I do okay.”

Peter hesitated, then asked, “Do you think I should go to college next year? I mean, Spider-Man doesn’t need academic qualifications.”

Daredevil inhaled a deep breath, let it out slowly. “Look, that’s something you’re going to have to decide for yourself. I was already a lawyer when I…” He gestured vaguely at himself, finishing, “started this. But you’re young, and I don’t know how your powers work as far as healing goes. When you’re older, you may not…” He cleared his throat. “I, uh, had a building fall on me not too long ago. I recovered, but it took a while and some days… well. I can see a time when I’m not going to be able to be Daredevil.”

For a moment, Peter couldn’t speak, lost as he was in the memory of a building falling. “You -” He cleared his throat. He hated when his voice did that. “You had a building fall on you?”

Daredevil nodded. “From the way your heart rate spiked, I’m guessing you had a similar experience?”

“Yeah.” Peter tried to laugh, but it didn’t quite work. “Worst homecoming ever.”

Daredevil made a sound that wasn’t quite a sigh. “Look, kid, if you keep doing what you do… stuff like that is probably going to keep happening, and maybe not just to you. People might die. People you care about. Maybe you should… give it up, just for a little while,” he amended, maybe sensing Peter’s incipient protest. “Go to college. Have some fun. Kiss some people, if that’s what you’re into. The suit can wait.”

“I mean, it can. The suit can, absolutely. But the people? I don’t know if they can wait. You know?”

This time, Daredevil did sigh. “Yeah. I know.”

“I can do both, maybe. College and Spider-Man.”

“Maybe,” Daredevil agreed, though he didn’t sound too optimistic. He held out his hand. “Look, good luck, Peter,” he said, as Peter shook his hand. “Keep in touch, okay?”

“I will,” Peter agreed. As that was obviously a dismissal, he let loose some web and leapt off the roof. Turning in mid-swing, he saw Daredevil, still on the roof, head tipped a little as he listened to something. Just as Peter turned his focus back to what he was doing, Daredevil started his own descent.

The Devil of Hell’s Kitchen had work to do.

* * *

The next day Shuri, unsurprisingly, looked like she had been there for hours when Peter got to the lab.

He loved to watch her work. Even when she was standing at the lab bench, focused on a bit of equipment or logging what she had done in her laptop, he could still practically feel the energy radiating from her.

Talking with her was even better, but he had to stay on his toes. She wouldn’t let through even the slightest error, be it logical or scientific, though she never made Peter feel bad when it happened.

He was going to miss her.

“Hey, how long have you been there?” Shuri asked, looking over her shoulder. “Come on. Get to work.”

Peter nodded and joined her. His hands knew what to do, even though his mind was anywhere but on the science. “So,” he began.

When he didn’t complete the sentence, Shuri looked over, then set aside her work.

“School starts on Wednesday,” Peter said, eventually.

“Ah, so you’re leaving me,” Shuri teased. “Well, I’m off to Oakland on Thursday, after all. We knew it couldn’t last.”

 _It_ being, of course, the science. Shuri had decided to leave her project with Mr. Stark, so he and his people could continue to work with the alien. She had done this on the condition that they release the alien if they determined that it meant no harm to people.

Shuri continued, “Have you given any thought to coming to Oakland once you’ve finished school?” Perhaps sensing his hesitation, she added, “New York already has so many superheroes.”

That was true. That didn’t make it feel any less like Peter would be abandoning his neighborhood, but it helped.

“I’ve been thinking,” Peter began. “Maybe… maybe I should go to college.”

“If you like,” Shuri said easily. “Caltech is an excellent school, and you can work with me in Oakland when you have time.”

“Caltech,” Peter began, with a small head shake. “And even if I got in -”

“You would.”

“- even _if_ , California’s huge, right? I’ll bet it would take me hours to drive from Caltech to Oakland.”

Shuri smiled at him. It was a warm smile, a mischievous smile, a smile that spoke of ideas and plans and _science_.

“I have a year to figure out your transportation, yes? Who says you’d be driving?”

Peter couldn’t help but smile in return. There were still details to work out; he’d have to talk to May and Ned and Mr. Stark.

Peter shot off a quick text to Ned: _Caltech, any thoughts?_

Ned’s reply, all emoji, was clearly positive.

Yes, the idea had potential.


End file.
